The Baltimore Ravens were able to come out of Week 1 of the 2022 season with an impressive 24-9 win over the New York Jets. The team has plenty to be excited about, especially the fact that they were able to overcome a slow and sloppy first half to dominate in all three phases over the remainder of the game.
Despite the win, Baltimore didn’t come out of the game unscathed. They lost offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James in the second quarter, then saw cornerback Kyle Fuller leave the game late in the fourth quarter with an ailment of his own. The injuries didn’t look good, and after the contest head coach John Harbaugh gave an update on both players.
Coach Harbaugh with injury updates on Ja’Wuan James and Kyle Fuller. pic.twitter.com/2fedskR4qb
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 11, 2022
“..[Ja’Wuan] James has a torn Achilles; it’s the same one. It’s a little bit of a different tear; it’s off the bone. It’s not the one that is mid-tendon. So, he’s determined, and he says he’s in a way better place than he was last time, and he’s determined to come back in time. [Kyle] Fuller, we don’t know for sure. We’ll see tomorrow with the MRI with him. We have some reason for hope there.”
It’s an extremely tough break for James, who worked extremely hard to get back on the field in Week 1 after having injuries be a major storyline in his career. He was filling in for the recovering Ronnie Stanley, and if the All-Pro isn’t ready to go then Patrick Mekari will likely fill in until he’s ready.
Fuller’s injury looked serious initially, but Harbaugh expressed a bit of hope in the cornerback returning to action. If the veteran misses any extended amount of time, it’s possible that the team could look to the free agent market for an outside addition.